Morris tribune., 1887-12-21
.,unlNG INTERVIEW
Full Text of His Views ON the
Message.

Full Text of His Views ON the
Message.
WILL MAKEAS SQUARE ISSUE
he Would Repeal the Tax on To-
baooo Immediately.
Tho Tax ON whisky should Go to Fort
ify Our Coasts--"Pretsctiop 70 Amsr
lean Industries should be Dfaintained.h
.sNothing so Mischievous to Business an
Uncertainty. Nothing SO Paralyzlns a.
Doubt" WI
PARIS, Dec. AFTER reading an abstract
of the presidents message, laid before all
Europe this morning, saw Mr.. Blaine and
asked him if he would be willing to give his
views upon the recommendation of the
presidentin the form of q letter or interview.
He preferred the interview, il would agree
to send him am intelligent shorthand re-
porter, with such questions as should give
free scope for an expression Of his views
The following lucid and powerful statement
is the result. Mr.. Blaine began by saying to
the reporter; S
81 have been reading an abstract Of the
presidents message and have been especially
interested in the comments of the london
papers Those papers all assume to declare
the message is free trade manifesto and
evidently are anticipating an enlarged market
fol <S NTnSkaA SfafaS n
consequence of the presidents recommended
lions. Perhaps that fact stamped the char
acter of the message more clearly than any
words of mine cam -. .-s,
aYou don't mean actual free trade without
dnty2" queried the reporter.
'sNo, replied Mr.. Blaine. Nor do the
London papers mean that. They simply
mean that the president has recommended
what in the United States is known as
revenue tariff, rejecting the protective fea-
ture as an object and rat even permitting
protection to result freely as an Incident TO
revenue duties"
Il don't know that quite comprehend
that last point, said the reporter.
Il mean,n said Mr.. Blaine, shat for the
first time in the history of the United States
the president recommends retaining the in
ternal tax IN order that the tariff may be
forced down even below the fair revenue
standard. He recommends that the tx on
tobacco be retained, and thus that many mil
lions annually shall be levied ON a domestic
product which would far better come from a
tariff ON foreign fabrics. X Z
THE TOBACCO TAX SHOULD BE REPEALED
AT ONCE.
'Then do you mean to imply that you
would favor the repeal of the tobacco taxy'
Certainly; I mean just that" said Mr..
Blaine. II should urge that it be done at
once, even before the Christmas holidays. 1t
would in the first place bring great relief to
growers of tobacco all over the country, and
would, moreover, materially lessen the price
of the article to consumers Tobacco to mil
lions of men is a necessity. The president
calls it luxury, but it is luxury in no
other sense than tea and coffee are iuxu-
RES 1t is well to remember that the lux
ury of yesterday becomes a necessity of to-
day. Watch, if you please, the number of
men at work on the farm, in the coal mine,
along the railroad. in the iron foundry or
in any calling, and you win find ninety
FIVE in 100 chewing while they
work. After each meal the same pro-
portion seek the solace of a pipe or
cigar. These men not only pay the
HlllllOuS VI lut tODdCCO UoAs Uue D04 VA CNcAY
plug and every cigar an enhanced price
which the tax enables the manufactures and
retailer to impose The only excuse for such
tax is the actual necessity under which the
government found itself during the war, and
the years Immediately following To retain
the tax now in order to destroy the protec-
ton which would incidentally flow from rails.
ing the same. amount Of money on foreign
impog.s is reTtaiulya most extraordinary.
policy for Gxf goYr nnent.
THE WHISKY Ia :HoULD BE RETAINED.
ssWeli, then, Mr. q line, would you advise
= the repeal of the whisky tax alsos"
ssNo. would not Other considerations
than those of financial administrator are 20
be taken into account with regard to whisky.
There is moral side to it, To eheapeu
the price of whisky is to increase It's CON
sumption enormously. There would
be no sense in urging the reform
wrought by high license in many states
IL the national government neutralizes the
good effect by making whisky within reach
of every one at twenty cents q gallon.
Whisky would be everywhere distilled IL the
surveillance OF the government were with
drawn by the remission of the tax, and Illicit
sales could not then be prevented even by a
policy as rigorous and searching as that with
which Russia pursues the Nihilists. It would
destroy high license at once in all the states.
WHISKY SHOULD PAY FOR COAST DE-
FENsEs
ssWhisky has done vast deal of harm in
the United States Iwould try to make it
do some good would use the tax to fortify
our cities on the seaboard In view of the
powerful letter addressed to the Democratic
party on the subject of Notifications by the
late Mr.. Samuel j. sTilden, in 1885, am
amazed that no attention has been paid to
the subject by the Democratic administra-
ton. Never before in the history of the
world has any government allowed great
cities on the seaboard, like New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans and
San Francisco to remain absolutely defense
less"
IN TINE OF PEACE PREPARE FOR WAR.
ssBut," said the reporter, ''you don't think
we are to have war in any directionp
Certainly not !" said NJ. Blaine. "Neither,
presume, did Mr.. Tlden when he wrote his
remarkable letter But we should change a
remote chance into an absolute inlpossibility
If our weak and exposed points were strongly
fortified If today we had by any chance
even such war as we had with Mexico our
enemy could procure ironclads in Europe that
would menace our great cities with destruc-
ton or lay them under contribution"
ssBut would not our terrifying now posi-
bly, look as If we expected WARP
ssWhy should it any more than the FORTH
cations made seventy or eighty years ago by
our grandfathers when they guarded them.
selves against successful attack from the arm
anents of that day? We don't necessarily
expect burglar because we lock our doors
at night, but If by any possibility burglar
comes it contributes vastly to our peace OF
mind and our sound sleep to feel that hecan't
get in - s. as- . g
HOUSES AND FARMS PAY roo MUCH TAX
ssBut after the Notifications should be con-
strncted would you still maintain the tax on
whisky
ayes said Mr. Blaine, $50 long as there d
whisky to tax would tax il, and when tlls
national government should have no use fcz
the money would divide the tax among the
members of the Federal Union with The